Pit sinking



May 1i 1926 1,584,160

w. ZIMMERMANN PIT SINKING Filed May 12 1924 2 sheets-sheet 1 Maffay,

May-vll ,1926.

A 1,584160 WY ZIMMERMANN PIT SINKING Filed May 12 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wag@ Patented May ll, QB.

WILHELM zrMMnai/IANN,

PATENT l OFFICE.

0F ERKELENZ, GERMANY.

PIT SINKING.

Application filed May 12, 1924.

This invention relates to oil-well or deep boring operations where vpart of the depth must be bored out and part of the sinking effected by percussive tools, according to the variation of the superposed strata of earth and rock. Rotary boring can be advantageously adopted when the ground is of such a nature that it can be broken up by means of the rotary boring tools without eX- cessive wear and expenditure of energy. Y'Vhen harder soil or rock is encountered, rotary boring is ineffective and heretofore it has been necessary to dismantle the rotary boring appara-tus and to set up percussive tool apparatus in its place. This is in convenient and takes up much time, which is particularly annoying as it occurs repeatedly in boring a deep bore-hole.

The object of the present invention is to enable the sinking to be effected without dismantling the who-le apparatus and without loss of time in changing over from rotary boring to percussive operations and viceversa.

According to the present invention, the apparatus is designed to enable either rotary boring or percussive operations to be carried out. For this purpose, the driving engine, which drives the paying-out drum and the so-called rotary table of the boring rods during rotary oper-ations, is adapted to drive a rocker-arm or walking beam for raising and lowering the lifting rope of the percussive tool. Provision is also made for paying-out the rope of the percussion tool as the sinking proceeds.

In order to meet the diierent requirements with the simplest possible mechanism, the existing rotary apparatus is provided with a crankshaft Jfor driving` a rocker-arm or walking beam permanently itted to the rotary apparatus, whilst the same drum is utilized for paying-out and hauling-in the rope for the percussive tool as that already provided `for the supporting rope of the rotary boring rods. For rotary operations, the haulage drum has a single rope passing over an overhead sheave at the top of the boring tower for supporting the boring rods and for the percussive tool I attach a rope at one end to the rocker-arm and pass it over a fixed overhead sheave to the boring rods for the percussive tool, where it passes over a pulley on the end of the boring rods and back again over another overhead slieave to the haulage drum. The rocking of the Serial No. 712,784.

rocker arm then effects the percussive action whilst the haulage drum at the same time pays out the rope as the sinking proceeds.

In this manner, the whole 'arrangement is not only very simple but very easilycontrolled. For example, when changing-over to percussive sinking from rotary boring, the boring rod is raised and whilst the rotary table and its drivingmechanism is bcing removed, the other rope connections -i'or the percussive tool can be itted up and the lowering of the percussion tool rods into position can be commenced ready for thepercussive operation.

The preferred construction of theV iniproved deep-boring apparatus is shown on the accompanying drawings whereonz- Figs. 1 and 2 are an elevation and plan respectively of the apparatus adapted for rotary boring operations.

Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views of the apparatus converted for percussive sinking operations.

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views hereafter referred to. y

The boring plant in general is of known type. A tower 1 has an adjacent gantry or shed 2 in which is mounted the prime mover or engine 3 which. drives a countershaft 5 through a belt drive 4. The countershar't 5 drives gearing 6 and a second countershat 7 from which a haulage drum 9 is driven through gearing 8. The gearing 6 and 8 may be put into or out of operation as required in any known manner. c

Through a clutch 10, the countershaft 5 also drives a wheel 21 and chain 11 for driving the rotary table 12 which, in the usual manner, drives the boring rod 13 supported by the usual flushing head 14. The boring rod is carried by a rope 16 which passes over a iXed Sheave 15 in the top of the tower and is wound up or paid off the drum 9.

The countershaft 5 may also drive the crank shaft 18 through a gear which is slidable along the countershaft 5 and which is adapted to mesh with the gear 17 on the crankshaft 18 which drives the rockingarun 19. f

lf the crankshaft 18 is in neutral gear as in Figs. 1 and 2 and the chain drive 11 is coupled up, the apparatus can then be used Jfor rotary operations-in the usual manner. l/Vhen it is desired to change-over to percussive sinking, the rotary table 12 is stopped by throwing-out the clutch andthen, as soon as the drill rods have been removed, the percussion tool rods can be iitted in place. To this end the rope 16 (Figs. 3 and 4) is passed over the sheave 15 (Fig. 5) around a pulley 23 at the end 24E of the rod, then over a second sheave 20 in the top of y the tower and its end secured to the rockerarm 19. The chain Wheel 21 and chain 11 can then be removed or left in place as desired. The apparatus is then ready for percussive operations by means of the usual cutter or chisel 25 (Fig. 6) on the lower end of a heavy rod 26 connected to the upper rods by a coupling piece 27.

Claim:

A drilling rig of the class described comprising in combination, a prime mover, a

countershaft driven therefrom, a crankshaft driven by said countershaft, a third shaft driven by said countershaft and having se cured thereto a Winding drum, a table for driving a rotary drill, said table being also driven by said countershaft, a Walkingbeafm, means connecting one end of said Walkingbeam to said crankshaft for rocking the Walking-beam, means on said countershaft for disconnecting said crank shaft, and separate means on said countershaft for disconnecting said table, whereby said Winding drum may be rotated While either the Walking-beam or the table are being opi erated.

In testiinonywhereof I have signed my name to this specification.

WILHELM ZIMMERMANN. 

